Madrid: Petra Kvitova won her third title of the season on Sunday, beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the Madrid Open final.
The 18th-ranked Czech won the first set tiebreaker when Azarenka netted. The players exchanged breaks before Kvitova gained the momentum, helped by 40 winners. Kvitova secured her first Masters series trophy when her Belorussian opponent returned long on the first championship point.
Azarenka only managed to convert three of nine break chances as Kvitova defended her serve well despite a shaky service game.
"I was very nervous and perhaps that was the problem," said Kvitova, who will be the sixth Czech player to reach the top-10 when she jumps to No. 10 in the WTA rankings coming out Monday. "I think it's the best tennis that I've played. I was very offensive."
Azarenka hit only 10 winners to go along with her 21 unforced errors. Perhaps sensing the missed opportunity, she broke down into tears after the loss.
"She played great this week, (she) deserved it," said Azarenka, who will jump one spot to a career-high of fourth in the rankings despite coming up short in her bid for a third title this season.
Rafael Nadal plays Novak Djokovic in a final featuring the men's top two players and more than just the title on the line.
Defending champion Nadal has won 37 straight matches on clay and never lost to the Serb in nine matches on the surface, while Djokovic goes for his sixth title and 32nd straight win to start the season.
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